Initial
projections are out for upcoming health care premiums that will accompany the
Affordable Care Act.

The
Department of Health and Human Services says premiums nationwide will be 16
percent lower than projected. While Ohio is still waiting to find out official
numbers from the State Department of Insurance, one insurance agent says
without those numbers, it's hard to predict where each state stands.

"Insurance
in Indiana may be different than what it is in Ohio," said Rhonda Wise, vice
president of Beacon Associates. "Insurance in California is going to be
different than Ohio and it just depends on how that state is regulated. It's
not a set rate across the board."

According
to the White House website, the
average number of health plans that will be available in Ohio is 46. For a
family of four, the mid-range plan premium is $768.

Jan
Ruma, executive director of the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio, says about
55,000 Lucas County residents are uninsured. She says now is the time to find
out what insurance products individuals qualify for.

"There's
different plans," Ruma said. "It's a bronze, silver, platinum level, I believe,
that changes how much out-of-pocket expenses a person has. So the less
out-of-pocket expenses a person has, the more expensive the premium is going to
be."